AHDH is about so much more than attention...
It’s about starting and finishing….
It’s not that someone with ADHD lacks attention but more that they need tools to prioritize what to attend to. We are full of the capacity to notice the world around us. We are curious! And all that curiosity can make it hard to rank tasks in order of importance, causing it to feel as if EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE DONE and done right now. It is overwhelming enough to make us feel like our to do list is insurmountable, or that we don’t really know how to start, so we can give up before we begin.
If we can understand our ADHD as a mix of strengths and challenges, then we have the potential to amplify the strengths and develop strategies to address the challenges. I use active listening, research-driven ADHD assessments, and value exploration to help my clients clarify their strengths and better understand their challenges, which can lead clients to feel a higher degree of self-compassion and a greater sense of control.
It’s about time….
The ADHD brain just isn’t that great with recognizing time is passing. We can get deeply engrossed in something and forget to check the clock. We can underestimate how much time a task will take because, frankly, it is boring to our brain to think step by step. And we can find ourselves scrambling to meet a deadline because, somehow, that due date snuck up without us noticing.
Incorporating visual cues, using apps that alert us to stay on task, and developing routines that eliminate decision fatigue are examples of evidenced-based effective interventions that improve the quality of life for someone with ADHD. My clients and I work together to find interventions that work best for their specific needs.
It’s about environment….
If the ADHD brain was a radio station, it would have static and fluctuating reception so that you feel the need to keep playing with the dial. The sound of the leaf blower hits the ADHD brain at the same volume as the sound of the teacher’s voice. Or sometimes it is louder. It can take longer to tune in to what sensory input is important because the ADHD brain isn’t as adept at filtering incoming stimuli. No wonder we can get irritated over small things when we are straining so hard to filter out the static! In addition, processing speed can be slower for the ADHD brain. Combine those two and the result can be a brain that is working twice as hard to navigate daily life.
Identifying what sensory input raises your anxiety levels, learning new tools to strengthen the brain’s capacity to focus, and understanding key aspects of the brain are all things a client can expect from working with me. I utilize interpersonal neurobiology to employ techniques that help my clients learn how to keep their prefrontal cortex alert and engaged and discover what works best for them to give their ADHD brain a restorative rest so they are not “fiddling with the dial” to tune in so often.
Neurodiversity:
the notion that conditions like autism, dyslexia, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) should be regarded as naturally occurring cognitive variations with distinctive strengths that have contributed to the evolution of technology and culture rather than mere checklists of deficits and dysfunctions.
—Steve Silberman Neurotribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity
I bring curiosity, acceptance, and an understanding of interpersonal neurobiology into my work with clients, so they can explore their distinctive strengths and challenge the ways they have been defined by “deficits and dysfunctions.”
ADHD Resources
https://ptscoaching.com/tools-resources/
https://www.understood.org/pages/en/families/
https://chadd.org/
https://www.additudemag.com/
https://add.org/
https://pomofocus.io/
Stress Reduction Toolkit Resource—Johns Hopkins Video